Expectations for Treatment in Pediatric Weight Management and Relationship to Attrition.

BACKGROUND: Attrition in pediatric weight management negatively impacts treatment outcomes. A potentially modifiable contributor to attrition is unmet family expectations. This study aimed to evaluate the association between adolescent and parent/guardian treatment expectations and attrition. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective, nonrandomized, uncontrolled, single-arm pilot trial was conducted among 12 pediatric weight management programs in the Children's Hospital Association's FOCUS on a Fitter Future collaborative. Parents/guardians and adolescents completed an expectations/goals survey at their initial visit, with categories including healthier food/drinks, physical activity/exercise, family support/behavior, and weight management goals. Attrition was assessed at 3 months. RESULTS: From January to August 2013, 405 parents/guardians were recruited and reported about their children (203 adolescents, 202 children <12 years). Of the 203 adolescents, 160 also self-reported. Attrition rate was 42.2% at 3 months. For adolescents, greater interest in family support/behavior skills was associated with decreased odds of attrition at 3 months [odds ratio (OR) 0.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.57-0.98, p = 0.04]. The more discordant the parent/adolescent dyad responses in this category, the higher the odds of attrition at 3 months (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.04-1.78, p = 0.02). Weight loss was an important weight management goal for both adolescents and parents. For adolescents with this goal, the median weight-loss goal was 50 pounds. Attrition was associated with adolescent weight-loss goals above the desired median (50% above the median vs. 28% below the median, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Assessing initial expectations may help tailor treatment to meet families' needs, especially through focus on family-based change and realistic goal setting. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01753063.

Parents and pediatric weight management attrition: experiences and recommendations.

BACKGROUND: One of the most frequently cited challenges faced by pediatric weight management programs/clinics is attrition, with many studies reporting rates greater than 50%. Few studies have evaluated parental perspectives on recommendations for weight-management treatment enhancement. The aim of this study was to elicit perspectives on areas for improvement, discussions with staff about discontinuation, and potentially modifiable aspects of attrition from parents who prematurely discontinued stage 3 pediatric weight management treatment. METHODS: This study was performed as a semistructured interview as part of a telephone survey assessing reasons for attrition. RESULTS: Interviews were performed with 147 parents of children who attended programs/clinics at 13 children's hospitals participating in the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (now Children's Hospital Association) FOCUS on a Fitter Future II collaborative. The majority of parents (65%) denied talking to staff about their decisions to stop coming. When describing what could have been done to retain families, parents most frequently discussed changing logistics (e.g., hours and locations). Parents described changes in logistics and components (i.e., nutrition education, exercise, and behavior education/support) when asked what would work best for their family for pediatric weight management. CONCLUSIONS: Parental responses appeared to express frustration about flexibility with appointment times and treatment locations. The most frequently desired components were those traditionally offered by stage 3 pediatric weight management programs/clinics, and this may suggest a need for treatment delivery of these components to be more individualized. Additional discussion with families about their desire to discontinue treatment may provide a timely opportunity to address this need.